Flashback: Baking-Foil Fashion and Taco Couture

The Lemming has been trying to forget what a fashion designer did to Hulga Fekrat for four years. But, somewhat in the manner of something that drowned in a swamp: Mr. Basler's worst fashions of the year, women's division, resurfaced.

"Yeah, it makes your butt look big; worst women's fashions of the year…"
Robert Basler, Oddly Enough blog, Reuters (December 9, 2010)

"It was a year when models hit the international fashion runways looking like kitchen utensils, nutcrackers, forest creatures and, well, the recently deceased.

"You know it was a bad year in fashion when my blog item that was headlined 'The worst dress in the history of Earth?' barely makes it onto my Top 10 Worst Fashions list.

"And yes, you know it was a very, very bad year in women's fashion when the hottest new model featured in this blog was Hulga Fekrat...."

That's Hugla, next to the headline, presumably The photo's file name is "worst-womens-hulga-200.jpg," and the one next to this paragraph is "fekrat-240-vertical1.jpg."

The hour is late, and the Lemming is reminded of Spike Jone's rendition of "Laura." Ah, memories.

Why, by all that is sane, would someone a model look like an extra in Star War's Mos Eisley Cantina - and let the result be photographed. Perhaps the answer is connected to another perplexing question: Why do fashion shows exist?

Mr. Basler's 2010 Oddly Enough post employs the familiar 'countdown' format for its list of "10 worst fashion creations" list: from "The worst dress in the history of Earth?" in tenth place, to number one: "All of you girls are named Bambi?"

The Lemming micro-reviewed the tenth-place post, movable wings and all: "Flying Cucumber? Psychedelic Skyrocket? Dress?!" (July 26, 2010)

The third-from-the-bottom entry in Mr. Basler's list — perhaps its designer suffered a traumatic childhood experience involving an umbrella and a taco.

Which reminds the Lemming of this excerpt from David S. Zondy's Tales of Future Past website:

"When evolution went 'huh?' I have no idea what is going on here. Our heroes seem to be confronted with a pair of men from a planet where calamari and pancakes developed intelligence and then committed crimes against nature...."
("Tales of the Stars," Tales of Future Past)

The Lemming's bridge from baking-foil fashion and taco couture is probably the food angle. Being ADD-inattentive helps. ("Brilliant, Talented, and On Medication," A Catholic Citizen in America (November 30, 2010))

Back, aesthetic sense anesthetized, to the depths of high fashion. Maybe that pink-and-purple-and-blue-and-white-and-black — thing — is foil gift wrap, not colored baking foil.

Anyway, here's number one on Mr. Basler's list. Among the fashions of 2010, this may indeed be the bottom of the heap:


(from Oddly Enough, Reuters, used w/o permission)

To their credit, fashion designers create separate but equally grotesque wardrobes for men, as Mr. Basler demonstrated in another 2010 'worst' list.



"My name is Cecil, I play the ukulele…"
Oddly Enough, Reuters blog (April 5, 2010)

"Hey there, Gorgeous! You come to this bar often?

"I myself make this scene a couple times a week. Gotta spread myself around where the hot chicks are, am I right?

"Yo Joey! My usual! Double Crème de Menthe on the rocks!

"Anyhoo, my name's Cecil. I'm a Leo, I play the ukulele, and I've been to ALL five of the Great Lakes.

"I sell homemade lunch meat door-to-door. It's a good living, Cutie-Pie.

"Oh, this outfit? It's IMPORTED. From China...."

The Lemming doesn't know who dreamed that up. Or why. Perhaps the designer had been forced to make one too many accordion pleat skirts.

Mr. Basler dubbed that orange thing a "rube tube:" speculating that the orange see-through cummerbund is intended for overweight middle aged guys — who want something to hold in their bellies on the beach.

And, of course, are color blind and devoid of aesthetic judgment.

Sorry, the Lemming can't take much more of this: but feels compelled to share one last designer — thing.

"Once upon a time, in a blog like this…"
Oddly Enough, Reuters blog (January 28, 2010)

"Blog Guy, it's me. Goldilocks. All grown up. Out here on the slag pile where fairytale characters go when they've outlived their usefulness. Wrung out, discarded like old porridge…

"Yeah, I get it. What are you doing in this sleazy dive? What happened to the three bears?

"You can't tell? They're still with me. They'll never leave. Baby Bear is now a grown-up chain-smoker with a gambling problem. All of us, wrung out, discarded, like…

"Right. Like old porridge. Take a load off and look at some fashion designs for you and your three friends...."

Looking at that first photo, the Lemming's immediate thought was that this could be a case of gene therapy gone horribly wrong.


Then, the Lemming took a look at the model's face.

One can't tell for sure, since photography hadn't been invented at the time, but the Lemming suspects it's the sort of look long-suffering ladies of Europe's colorful past may have had, before they stuck something long and sharp into an offensive person.

Manuel Bolano, creator of that — thing — she's wearing should be glad he's living in the 21st century, where skewering people for personal reasons is often frowned upon.

Barely-related posts:

• "Pip: Not Your Usual Fluffy Christmas Rhyme"
  (December 5, 2014)
• "Night of the Creeping Tree"
  (February 21, 2014)
• " '...Charming, Quiet Neighborhood' "
  (January 3, 2014)
• "Gingerbread, Fruitcake, and Eggnog Nightmare #2"
  (December 23, 2011)
• "Lemming Tracks: Report from the Department of Silly Hats"
  (April 30, 2011)

World Architecture Festival Entries: Big, Small, Shiny, and Otherwise

(From Wingårdh Arkitektkontor AB, via CNN, used w/o permission.)
("Until Aula Medica was built, there was no large auditorium at the Karolinska Institutet (a medical university in Solna, Sweden). The building houses a 1,000-seat auditorium and other facilities.
"Category: Higher education and research
"Architects: Wingårdh Arkitektkontor AB (Sweden)")

"In Pictures: Spectacular buildings from Singapore's World Architecture Festival"
Maggie Hiufu Wong, CNN (September 28, 2014)

"Zaha Hadid's spaceship-like Dongdaemun Design Plaza, an avant-garde new home for Singapore's oldest Buddhist Temple, and a private bunker sprawling on top of a lake are some of the shortlisted entries competing for architectural honors at the World Architecture Festival in Singapore this week.

"Now it its seventh year, the event is the world's biggest celebration of building design.

"Hundreds of firms from more than 50 countries will be presenting and competing across 27 categories (Hotel and Leisure, Education and Display, others) in the three-day event...."

Some of the entries, like that Swedish auditorium, are shiny. Others, not so much.


(From Aedas, via CNN, used w/o permission.)
("The Administration Information Building is part of a joint international university founded by Xi'an Jiaotong University and Liverpool University. It's in Suzhou Industrial Park in China.
"Category: Higher education and research
"Architects: Aedas (Hong Kong, China)")

They're not all huge, or trying to look huge, either.


(From a21studio, via CNN, used w/o permission.)
("Vietnamese coffee shop Salvaged Ring is built from a collection of scrap wood stockpiled over the years by the owner, who is also a carpenter.
"Category: Small projects
"Architects: a21studio (Vietnam)")

Xi'an Jiaotong University and Liverpool University's Administration Information Building looks cool, and it's a good-sized structure: but it's not as big as those horizontal elements at the corners imply.

It's easy for an observer to see those alternating light and dark lines as rows of windows: which would make the building something like a hundred stories tall. Look at the windows at the center of each side, and the scale changes a bit.

It's a nifty optical illusion, in the Lemming's opinion: sort of like the strong vertical elements in Victorian mansions that made them look taller.

The entry shown in Maggie Hiufu Wong's article that particularly caught the Lemmings eye was the Salvaged Ring coffee shop. It's good to see someone making good use of "scrap" lumber. Long before "sustainable" design — real or imagined concern over resource management — became fashionable, folks were re-using wood, brick, or just about anything else that was lying around. And that's another topic.

More:

• World Architecture Festival
  (www.worldarchitecturefestival.com)
• "Salvaged style"
  Laurie Grano, Chicago Tribune (December 12, 2003)

Vaguely-related posts:

• "Rediscovering Timber Construction, and a Rambling Lemming"
  (August 22, 2014)
• "London: Holborn Overhaul and De-Fencing the Street"
  (April 4, 2014)
• "Chicago, City of Lights: Maybe"
  (January 24, 2014)
• " '...Charming, Quiet Neighborhood' "
  (January 3, 2014)
• "Chengdu's Huge New Mall, and a Musing Lemming"
  (August 30, 2013)

Weirdly Beautiful Meat Eating Sponge

(from Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), via LiveScience.com, used w/o permission)
"...the recently discovered carnivorous harp sponge, Chondrocladia lyra, ... in Monterey Canyon, off the coast of California, at a depth of about 11,500 feet (3,500 meters)...."

"Weird-Looking, Meat-Eating Sponge Found In Deep Sea"
Becky Oskin, OurAmazingPlanet, via LiveScience.com (November 8, 2012)

" A new carnivore shaped like a candelabra has been spotted in deep ocean waters off California's Monterey Bay.

"The meat-eating species was dubbed the 'harp sponge,' so-called because its structure resembles a harp or lyre turned on its side.

"A team from the Monterey Bay Research Aquarium Institute in Moss Landing, Calif., discovered the sponge in 2000 while exploring with a remotely operated vehicle. The sponges live nearly 2 miles (3.5 kilometers) beneath the ocean's surface...."

The harp sponge probably wouldn't make a good movie monster. Mostly it just sits there, waiting for tiny critters to drift by and get caught in in the upright parts. This carnivorous sponge has dreadful table manners: it digests its prey by wrapping a membrane around it.

You might impress your friends by calling the harp sponge by its scientific name: Chondrocladia lyra. Then again, maybe not. Anyway, "harp sponge" takes less time to say.

Those little things at the bottom aren't roots, by the way. They're called rhizoids, and keep the sponge rooted in place.

Now, if only harp sponges were a hundred feet tall, walked on land, and roared: maybe they'd revive good old-fashioned movies like "Them!," "Tarantula," or "Night of the Lepus." The Lemming would say 'they just don't make movies like that any more: but there's "The Thing" (2011). Special effects have changed a bit, and that's another topic.

The article's video video was a bit on the dry side, but the Lemming enjoyed it. Your experience may vary:



Slightly-related posts:

• "First Montauk, Now This: East River 'Monster,' Another Dead - Thing"
  (August 3, 2012)
• "Lilli the Six-Legged Calf"
  (March 30, 2012)
• "And Now, For Something Completely Different: Portable Buildings; and an Octopus Cartoon"
  (March 7, 2012)
• " 'Rapture' and a Rattled Raccoon"
  (May 24, 2011)
• "Heidi the Cross-Eyed Possum"
  (January 12, 2011)

San Francisco-Oakland Bridge: LEDs, Cool Photo

(Teton Gravity Research, via Wired, used w/o permission)

"Check Out the San Francisco Bay Lights in 4K Glory"
Christina Bonnington, Gadget Lab, Wired (April 1, 2013)

"The Golden Gate Bridge has long overshadowed its grayer, plainer companion, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. That's changed, just a bit, now that the Bay Lights illuminate 'the other bridge' with the glow of 25,000 glittering LEDs.

"We've been lucky enough to see them each night since they first lit up March 5, and now you can enjoy them too - in stunning 4K definition.

"The video was shot with a RED Epic attached to Gyro-Stabilized Systems' C520, a portable five-axis gyro-stabilized camera platform. It's the first such system that is fully upgradable, interchangeable, and can accommodate 4K camera tech...."

It's a pretty cool photo. The copy in this post was cropped to fit the Lemming's format.

What's really impressive is what it took to get the video: for that you'll have to read the Wired article.

Normally, the Lemming would ramble on about LEDs, San Francisco, or maybe bridges. It's been one of those weeks, though, and the Lemming's taking a break.

Allegedly-related posts:

• "New York City, Stray Cats, Shag, and Sense"
  (December 28, 2011)
• "Television's Ephemeral Art: 'Click,' and It's Gone"
  (April 25, 2011)
• "Van Gogh, Art, and Greenish Phytoplankton"
  (November 25, 2010)
• "Bubbles!"
  (January 23, 2010)
• "Glow-in-the-Dark Flashing Tattoos? Prosthetics With Neural Interfaces? They're Coming"
  (November 20, 2009)

Curiosity: Landing Video; and Settling In

"NASA Mars Rover Begins Driving at Bradbury Landing"
Mission News, Mars Science Laboratory (August 22, 2012)

"NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has begun driving from its landing site, which scientists announced today they have named for the late author Ray Bradbury.

"Making its first movement on the Martian surface, Curiosity's drive combined forward, turn and reverse segments. This placed the rover roughly 20 feet (6 meters) from the spot where it landed 16 days ago.

"NASA has approved the Curiosity science team's choice to name the landing ground for the influential author, who was born 92 years ago today and died this year. The location where Curiosity touched down is now called Bradbury Landing.

" 'This was not a difficult choice for the science team,' said Michael Meyer, NASA program scientist for Curiosity. 'Many of us and millions of other readers were inspired in our lives by stories Ray Bradbury wrote to dream of the possibility of life on Mars.'..."


"This 360-degree panorama shows evidence of a successful first test drive for NASA's Curiosity rover. On Aug. 22, 2012, the rover made its first move, going forward about 15 feet (4.5 meters), rotating 120 degrees and then reversing about 8 feet (2.5 meters). Curiosity is about 20 feet (6 meters) from its landing site, now named Bradbury Landing. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech"

Taking a Look Around

Like many travelers, Curiosity is taking time to settle in before heading out to get a closer look at local attractions. In the case of this semi-autonomous robot, it's particularly important to check out equipment. Curiosity is a long way from home, and roadside service isn't available in Gale Crater. Not yet, anyway.

Here's a detail of that panoramic scene Curiosity sent back, showing spots where landing rockets marked the ground.



"...Curiosity will spend several more days of working beside Bradbury Landing, performing instrument checks and studying the surroundings, before embarking toward its first driving destination approximately 1,300 feet (400 meters) to the east-southeast.

" 'Curiosity is a much more complex vehicle than earlier Mars rovers. The testing and characterization activities during the initial weeks of the mission lay important groundwork for operating our precious national resource with appropriate care,' said Curiosity Project Manager Pete Theisinger of JPL. 'Sixteen days in, we are making excellent progress.'..."
("Mission News")

Video from Mars

This video is a bit choppy. Bear in mind, though: it was taken by a robot; and sent from Mars. Audio is what folks in mission control, back on Earth, were saying.

"Curiosity Lands on Mars"

NASA/JPL - Cal Tech (August 5, 2012)
via Brian Gill, YouTube (August 24, 2012)
video, 3:32
(Original video: "Dropping in on Mars in High-Res")

Related posts:

• Robots and Mars
  • "Roomba Review, and Dancing Robots"
    (August 17, 2012)
  • "Principles, Politics, Parkas, and a Robot on Mars"
    A Catholic Citizen in America (August 17, 2012)
    Particularly
    • Messages from Mars
  • "A Tale of Two Mars Probes"
    (November 28, 2011)
  • "Mars Rover Spirit: Not Bad for a Limited-Warranty Robot"
    (May 26, 2011)
  • "New Look at the Lost Ocean of Barsoom"
    (June 15, 2010)
• Searching for life
  • "GJ 667Cc: Heavier than Earth, Maybe About as Warm"
    (February 6, 2012)
  • "Science isn't a Four-Letter Word "
    A Catholic Citizen in America (January 29, 2012)
    Particularly
    • 1277 and All That
  • "Mexico's Crystal Cave and Astrobiologist Boston"
    (June 3, 2011)
  • "Viking Life Experiments: Another Look at Organic Stuff on Mars"
    (January 6, 2011)
  • "Astrobiology, the Vatican, and the Meaning of Our Existence"
    A Catholic Citizen in America (November 12, 2009)

More:

• Mars Science Laboratory
  • Mars Science Laboratory
    National Aeronautics and Space Administration press kit (July 2012) (5.4 MB)
    (from http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/fact_sheets/mars-science-laboratory.pdf (August 8, 2012))
  • Mars Science Laboratory Launch
    NASA Press Kit (November 2011)
    (from http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press_kits/MSLLaunch.pdf (August 16, 2012))
  • Mars Science Laboratory Landing
    NASA facts (March 2012)
    (from http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press_kits/MSLLaunch.pdf (August 8, 2012))
  (List posted on A Catholic Citizen in America (August 17, 2012)

First Montauk, Now This: East River 'Monster,' Another Dead - Thing

"Dead East River 'monster' confounds New Yorkers, animal experts"
Philip Caulfieldn, New York Daily News (July 25, 2012)
"A gnarly, dead carcass snapped by photographer Denise Ginley has the Parks Department claiming it's just a pig, while naysayers are crying 'foul.'...

"...A bloated, pig-like carcass spotted beneath the Brooklyn Bridge over the weekend has spooked New Yorkers buzzing about mutant river 'monsters.'

"Photographer Denise Ginley shot pics of the rotting, sand-covered corpse on Sunday. 'My boyfriend and I were walking along the East River on our way to a farmer's market when we spotted it among some driftwood on a small stretch of sand below the Brooklyn Bridge that you can barely call a beach,' she emailed the Daily News...."

This particular dead critter looks like a pig, sort of: judging from the photos, it's about the right size, has ears that are sort of pig-like. What's at the end of the legs? Maybe not so much:


(Denise Ginley, via New York Daily News, used w/o permission)

"
(Denise Ginley, via New York Daily News, used w/o permission
"Photographer Denise Ginley shot pics of the rotting, sand-covered corpse on Sunday while strolling with her boyfriend along the Manhattan side of the East River."

"
(Denise Ginley, via New York Daily News, used w/o permission
"Photographer Denise Ginley thinks it is odd that the Parks Department so quickly said the creature was a 'discarded cooked pig' and that the department 'threw it out.' "

A Pig: With Hands?!

No, the Lemming does not think that this is a mutant space-alien Elvis impersonator. Maybe a pig's hooves look like that, after being exposed to the elements for long enough.

Or maybe the Parks Department officials are city folks, and never got closer to pigs than a supermarket's meat department.

Or - maybe this is Elvis! (July 30, 2008) Or, not.

"East River Monster Is Either a Raccoon or Dog or Rodent (or Monster)"
Joe Coscarelli, New York (July 26, 2012)

"When the New York City Parks Department tried to tell us that this fat little blob of horror was a pig, we said hell no because we have eyes and our paranoia will not be placated. Instead, we came up with conspiracy theories about chemicals in the East River, offshore animal testing, and the Jurassic Park–style breeding of many more Montauk Monsters. Then, just in case, we asked the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, where a wildlife expert told Daily Intel through a spokesperson that 'the carcass in the picture you provided appears to be a raccoon.' Hmmm. Maybe?

"But the experts do not agree.

" 'Obviously, all of the hair is gone and the carcass is greatly bloated due to decay, so all of the typical body-form clues are absent,' said our source. 'But the overall body appearance, coupled with the hands/feet, look like a raccoon.' The original Montauk Monster also got called a raccoon, but who knows how deep this thing goes) The wildlife people aren't making any promises anyway: 'We cannot say for certain though without examining the carcass in person.' It's too bad the Parks Department 'just threw it out.'..."

So, is the east river monster a drowned dog, a deceased raccoon, a mutant pig, or something else? In the Lemming's considered opinion: maybe.


(Denise Ginley, via New York, used w/o permission)
"...But this doesn't look like a dog paw to us either...." (Joe Coscarelli, New York)

Actually, "pig" seems unlikely. The ears are sort of pig-shaped: but the - paws? Hands?

What's at the far end of the front legs for mammals that don't have hooves is fairly standard hardware: so all that the Lemming will commit to is that the east river monster almost certainly is a mammal, and comes from Earth.

And Now, Something Crazy

On the other hand, it would be so cool if this was the body of an escaped prisoner from a top-secret space alien government black ops undercover mad scientist frankenfood biotech CIA plot.

Involving Elvis.

Related posts:

• Critters!
  • "Chupacabra! Or, Attack of the Giant Chihuahua! Or, Beware of Mutant Raccoon"
    (July 11, 2010)
  • "Montauk Monster is Back: Photo Revealed"
    (May 13, 2009)
  • "Georgia Bigfoot Hoax: Rube Duped by Sophisticated Humor?"
    (August 21, 2008)
  • "Montauk Monster: It's Alive! Three Live Sightings So Far"
    (August 3, 2008)
  • "Montauk Monster: Publicity Stunt by Space Aliens, Implicating USDA's Plum Island?"
    (July 30, 2008)
• Conspiracies?
  • "Mayan Apocalypse Transition: Book a Galactic Cruise; or Take the Cosmic Bike Tour"
    (February 3, 2012)
  • "How to Not Sound Crazy - or - THE PARANOIDS ARE AFTER ME!!!"
    (June 12, 2011)
  • "Nuclear Weapons, Space Aliens, Conspiracy Theories, and Getting a Grip"
    (September 24, 2010)
  • "Why is it So Hard to Find a Comprehensive History of Blotting Paper?"
    (March 2, 2010)
  • "Haiti's Earthquake Caused by - You Guessed it - Yankee Imperialists"
    (January 21, 2010)

Houses: Expensive; Famous; Not Necessarily Big

"Mad for Mod: 10 places to get serious house envy"
George Hobica, FoxNews.com (May 08, 2012)

"Anyone with a pile of money can build a big pile of a house, and back in the day, that's what you did. (See, for instance, Downton Abbey.) But during the 20^th century, a group of architects staged a controversial revolt. Why, they asked, couldn't less be as impressive as more? Across North America, sensational - but often reasonably-sized and usually deceptively simple - homes stand as their legacy. Here are ten of the best. All of them are open to the public, but make advance reservations...."

The article lists each of these houses:

• Farnsworth House, Plano, Illinois
• Fallingwater, Mill Run, Pennsylvania
• Phillip Johnson Glass House, New Canaan, Connecticut
• Eames House, Los Angeles, California
• Miller House, Columbus, Indiana
• Luis Barragan House, Mexico City, Mexico
• 7 Neutra VDL House, Los Angeles, California
• Gropius House, Lincoln, Massachusetts
• Taliesin West, Scottsdale, Arizona
• Sunnylands, Rancho Mirage, California

Each entry comes with a one-paragraph description: and a link to 'low air fares' to the area, in case you want to plan a trip.

The house in the photo up there is Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater. Two things that folks with the budget for a 'landmark' house like that might want to remember is that the architect is likely to be remembered longer than the original owner; and that bold, imaginative, innovative, houses can have serious maintenance issues.


(Phillip Johnson Glass House, via FoxNews.com, used w/o permission)
"You'd expect a man like Phillip Johnson, one-time associate of Mies van der Rohe and later an architectural legend in his own right, to live in a pretty amazing house. And he did, in a section of Connecticut's...."

Then there's the Phillip Johnson Glass House, where the original owner's name is associated with it. Possibly because Mr. Johnson stood out in 1940s America as someone who literally lived in a glass house. Or owned one, anyway.

The article's got eight more photos, one for each of the houses. It's a pretty good 'tour' for someone like the Lemming, who doesn't get out much. Not for transcontinental sightseeing jaunts, anyway.

Related posts:

• "The Varma Mansion: Revisited" (May 23, 2010)
• "These Houses aren't Invisible: They're Underground" (June 25, 2009)
• "The Varma Mansion: One Big, Fancy, House" (March 8, 2009)
• " 'Monte Silo' - Cool House" (January 13, 2009)
• "Skyway Retreat" (September 21, 2007)

Yes, the Moon Did Look Really Big

"Spectacular 'Supermoon' Wows Skywatchers Around the World"
Tariq Malik, SPACE.com Managing Editor, SPACE.com (May 6, 2012)

"The biggest full moon of the year, a so-called "supermoon," rose into the night sky Saturday to the delight of skywatchers around the world, who captured the lunar sight in dazzling amateur astronomy photos.

"Because of a fluke of orbital timing, the full moon of May peaked late Saturday just as the moon was passing its perigee, the closest point to Earth of its orbit. The result was the biggest full moon of the year, which NASA and other scientists nicknamed the supermoon of 2012.

"In Amman, Jordan, the bright moon amazed skywatcher Carra Almond of Canton, N.C., who is currently living in Jordan with her husband. Almond said the moon was a captivating sight from her apartment balcony. Her photo shows a crystal clear moon shining bright against a black night sky. [Supermoon 2012 Photos from Around the World]..."


(Imelda Joson and Edwin Aguirre, via SPACE.com, used w/o permission)
"Veteran astrophotographers Imelda Joson and Edwin Aguirre captured this view of the supermoon of 2012, the full moon of May, on May 5, 2012, from Woburn, Mass."

The Lemming missed the 'supermoon.' Here in central Minnesota, the sky was overcast yesterday. Occasionally the clouds wrung themselves out, and there's a rumor that blue sky was visible around mid-afternoon. Which would have been a really bad time for trying to see that whacking great moon.

Not that the moon really was bigger: Like the SPACE.com article said, it looked bigger because the moon was at its closest approach to Earth in its orbit, right about when it was full.

One of the "Supermoon 2012 Photos from Around the World" caught the Lemming's eye:

"Supermoon 2012 in Manchester, Wash.: Tonya Traylor"

(Tonya Traylor, via SPACE.com, used w/o permission)
"The supermoon of 2012 shines bright in a cloud-spattered sky in this view from skywatcher Tonya Traylor from Manchester, Wash., on May 5, 2012. "

That was a happy coincidence of moon, cloud, camera: and someone ready to capture an image.

One more thing: the "around the world" pictures include an infographic that shows just how much bigger than normal the moon looked. Or would have looked, if the Lemming's home hadn't been under a soggy blanket. Oh, well: at least the tornado missed us. And that's another topic.

Related (sort of) posts:

• "NASA's Six-Legged Roving Lunar Base"
  (August 19, 2010)
• "Farms: On the Moon? Quite Likely"
  (July 29, 2010)
• "A Hole in the Ground! Big Deal? It's on the Moon"
  (January 2, 2010)
• "Blue Moon, Lunacy, the Dark Side of the Moon, and More"
  (January 1, 2010)
• "The Moon, Cheese, Aristotle, and What We've Known"
  (October 5, 2009)

Santa Monica Place, Famous Architects, and Why Minnesota Malls Have Roofs

"Venice Designer of Santa Monica Place Mall Honored"
Paul Chavez, Venice-MarVistaPatch (May 1, 2012)

"David Rogers, a Venice-based architect, has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects in the design category. Rogers most recently was the principal designer of the Santa Monica Place mall.

"David Rogers, a Venice-based architect whose most recent works include the Santa Monica Place open-air shopping mall, has been named as one of 105 fellows of the American Institute of Architects in the design category.

"Rogers is the co-design director of The Jerde Partnership, an international architecture and design firm based in Los Angeles...."

The rest of the article is mostly about David Rogers: which figures, since the Venice-MarVistaPatch reporter is writing about a 'home town celebrity.' David Rogers has done work outside California: like the Beursplein in Rotterdam, Zlote Tarasy in Warsaw, and something in the Kuntsevo district of Moscow. Rogers isn't quite 'world-wide, though: He seems to have missed South America, Australia, Greenland, and Antarctica.

The Lemming's more interested in Santa Monica Place, though. In this post, anyway.

That's a Big Makeover

"Santa Monica Place Swaps Gehry for Airy"
Marissa Gluck, The Architect's Newspaper (August 6, 2010)
"Stodgy mall by starchitect transformed into luxury galleria hocking sunlight and sea breeze"

"Thirty years ago a little-known architect named Frank Gehry designed a three-story indoor mall near the beach in Santa Monica while working at Gruen Associates. It was a far cry from the sumptuous buildings he creates today, but the use of metal, glass, and expressive forms was still there, in its infancy.

"Now, little of the original Santa Monica Place remains, as it has been renovated and reconfigured into an outdoor luxury shopping center by Dallas-based Omniplan. Save for some chain link signage, it is an entirely different place, less jazzy and more natural, less claustrophobic and more connected, a classy joint-at least by mall standards-that the developer hopes will attract the crowds that never flocked here before...."

Happily, this article includes photos. Quite a few of them. Including this set, shrunk down to fit in this blog.

Here's what Santa Monica Place looked like, 'before:'


(Bobak Ha'Eri/Wikimedia Commons, via The Architect's Newspaper, used w/o permission)

That's what Frank Gehry's atrium for Santa Monica Place looked like. It was like a lot of other shopping malls built around 1980. Nothing wrong with that, in the Lemming's opinion, but the place apparently needed some pepping up.

Here's the same place, 'after:'


(Marisa Gluck, via The Architect's Newspaper, used w/o permission)
"Few of Gehry's flamboyant flourishes remain, but the roofs of the escalators do recall the mall's prior architect."

It's amazing, what taking the roof off a room will do for its appearance. Folks here in Minnesota don't have that option. Actually, we do: but the room would get really, really, cold during winter.


(Marisa Gluck, via The Architect's Newspaper, used w/o permission)
"Looking out toward the promenade."

That looks like a really nice place. There's room to walk, those tiny trees almost provide shade, and there isn't too much room to walk. The Lemming remembers vast concrete expanses of - concrete - back when Modernism was new.


(Marisa Gluck, via The Architect's Newspaper, used w/o permission)
"The dining deck, with upscale eateries and views of the ocean, is a main attraction."

This is the sort of architectural photograph that the Lemming appreciates. The camera is near a human's eye level - and placed where someone might actually be standing. That is how everybody except some acrobatic photographers is going to see the area. A tip of the Lemming's hat, for this 'you are here' photo.

Related posts:

• " 'Fountain of Abundance' and the Psychedelic Buffalo"
  (April 27, 2012)
• "Taipei 101: Shopping Center, Offices, and a 728-Ton Sculpture"
  (January 18, 2012)
• "Santa Monica Place, Cool New Mall in California: It Would be Even Cooler Here"
  (August 10, 2010)
• "Frank Gehry's 'Curvy' Buildings"
  (July 2, 2010)
• "Antoni Gaudi - Buildings With That Home-Cooked Look"
  (July 15, 2008)

"Fountain of Abundance" and the Psychedelic Buffalo

"Fountain in West Acres Shopping Mall, Fargo, N.D."
Digital Horizons, Photo Gallery for the North Dakota State University Institute of Regional Studies (1977-08)


(Institute for Regional Studies, NDSU, Fargo (35mm-0560.8), used w/o permission)
"View of shoppers seated around a courtyard in West Acres Shopping Center. A fountain and hanging plants decorate the area. In the background is visible the storefronts for Daytons and Flagg...."

"... The fountain is entitled 'Fountain of Abundance' and was created by P. Richard Szeitz...."

Looks like you could order a copy of that photo. A link on that page goes to http://library.ndsu.edu/archives/collections-institute/photography/reproductions/. Not the catchiest name in the world, maybe: but your browser should be able to find it. And that's another topic.

West Acres has been around since around 1972, and started out with that sculpture as a sort of centerpiece. They removed it for a while, but looks like it's back in public view. Along with a very strange bison.

The West Acres website, www.westacres.com, says that the psychedelic buffalo is in Buffalo Court, which makes sense. That's the one near Herbergers, at the west end of the original Mall.

The fountain is at the 'far end' of the mall, in - what else? - Fountain Court. That's the southwest end of the mall. It's also a whole lot brighter there, than when the Lemming last visited. Which was - quite a while ago.

The color photos are from West Acres' "Regional Showcase" page, by the way. The shopping mall seems to be presenting itself as a sort of cultural center.

The east end of the mall "...is where you'll find West Acres' 1,000-gallon freshwater aquarium filled with African cichlids. Pipedream, a spiral-like, soaring interactive sculpture made of 100 brushed and beveled steel pipes, engages young and old alike. In concert with Pipedream is a similar glass sculpture within the aquarium...."

The Lemming thinks it's okay for a shopping mall to attract shoppers with sculptures, aquariums, and other 'cultural stuff.' Your experience may vary. This photo shows where the "abundance" sculpture started out:

"....Center Court near Macy's is a great place to relax for a bit. Browse through our great collection of books that either feature our region or are penned by local authors (or both), and peruse photographs taken throughout the region...."

If you're still reading this post: thanks for your patience. The Lemming grew up across the river from West Acres, and enjoyed sharing a virtual visit to the place. It's still a lively regional shopping area: with no empty store fronts, the Lemming's been told.

Allegedly-related posts:

• "Mayan Apocalypse Transition: Book a Galactic Cruise; or Take the Cosmic Bike Tour"
  (February 3, 2012)
• "Taipei 101: Shopping Center, Offices, and a 728-Ton Sculpture"
  (January 18, 2012)
• "St. Paul, Minnesota, and The Curious Case of the Cherished Carousel"
  (November 16, 2011)
• "Wiggly Buildings and Other Weirdness"
  (September 13, 2010)
• "Santa Monica Place, Cool New Mall in California: It Would be Even Cooler Here"
  (August 10, 2010)

What do a wedding dress, an opera house, some purses, and a torch have in common?

"Olympic Torch Voted Design of Year Before London’s Games"
Farah Nayeri, Bloomberg (April 24, 2012)

"The Olympic torch was voted Design of the Year in a U.K. contest, as judges chose to reward the sporting emblem in the year of the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Designed by London-based Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, the tapered rod has 8,000 holes representing the 8,000 bearers who will carry it over 8,000 miles (12,874 kilometers). Runners-up in the 'Design of the Year 2012' announced today included Catherine Middleton's wedding gown, a Zaha Hadid opera house in China, and Vivienne Westwood handbags made in Kenya...."

The Bloomberg article doesn't say how folks judged the relative merits of a ventilated torch, a wedding dress, an opera house, and some handbags. Sure, they were looking at 'design' in each case: but design criteria for an opera house and a wedding gown aren't all that similar. Come to think of it, though, the torch and the handbags may be roughly the same size: and both are designed to be carried.

Maybe that odd lot of entrants isn't so unrelated, after all. Still: a wedding dress and an opera house?

Here's a photo of the opera house in question. Looks pretty cool, in the Lemming's opinion.


(Iwan Baan/Design Museum, via Bloomberg, used w/o permission)
"The Guangzhou Opera House, designed by Pritzker Prize winner Zaha Hadid. The building is nominated for the Design of the Year award, organized by the Design Museum in London. Photographer: Iwan Baan/Design Museum via Bloomberg"

The Guangzhou Opera House looks very impressive from this angle, but the photo raises some questions. Is the camera at eye level? If so, why aren't there any handrails on the left side of that - is it a walkway? And if that's a reflecting pool to the right, what does it look like when there's a breeze?

Oh, well: It's still a cool photo.

Related posts:

• "Olympic This, Olympic That, and Chobham Academy"
  (March 14, 2012)
• "And Now, For Something Completely Different: Portable Buildings; and an Octopus Cartoon"
  (March 7, 2012)
• "Eco-Bridge or Not, This Looks Like a Good Idea"
  (February 20, 2009)
• "The 2008 Olympics 'Water Cube:' Looks Cool, Retains Heat, and Keeps Itself Clean"
  (August 22, 2008)
• "China's Cool New Buildings: Eco-Aware, Too"
  (October 15, 2007)

Multimedia at the Symphony, and Skateboarding Meets Opera

"Six new spots for architecture lovers"
Katia Hetter, CNN (April 10, 2012)

"The Eiffel Tower. The Colosseum. The Taj Majal. The Pyramids.

"Massive architectural marvels from times past, they are often stopping points on a tourist's journey.


(turner.com/CNN, used w/o permission)
"The New World Symphony performs the premiere of 'Polaris' in January at the symphony's New World Center home in Miami Beach, Florida."

"Although these grand sites aren't always why globe-trotters say they're going on vacation, some of history's great works of architecture star in the returning traveler's photos. Did you get that smiling shot in front of Buckingham Palace or the photo 'pushing' the Leaning Tower of Pisa upright?

"Despite a tight economy, a new generation of architects is giving the traveler reasons to jump on a plane to see modern masterpieces. Many of the new structures are public projects, designed to welcome the resident and tourist alike...."

There's an echo or two of the 'let's make buildings look like packing crates' era, but what impressed the Lemming about this set of structures is that they don't all look alike.

Just a suggestion, but check out the picture captioned "People take in the warm weather at the High Line, Manhattan's newest park constructed on a former elevated railroad track." The photographer and editors get points for keeping the camera at eye level - giving readers a look at the place as seen by folks actually using it.

Skateboarding and Opera

(turner.com/CNN, used w/o permission)
"Part of a development project to connect the waterfront to the rest of the Norwegian city, the Oslo Opera House's design encourages visitors to walk up the building to a public space on the roof."

About the Oslo Opera House roof/ramp:

"...For the architecture geek: If you think the outside of the Oslo Opera House would be an excellent skate park, it's no accident. Skateboarders were consulted about the exterior design and surfaces and have enjoyed the results, according to Wired magazine..."
(Katia Hetter/CNN)

That's an impressive-looking structure. From a distance. It's not likely that the Lemming would ever be in a position to test this: but dark glasses might help cut the glare from that vast white surface. Or maybe it isn't quite as dazzling-bright as it looks in this photo.

Still - that's an impressive-looking structure. And the Lemming's repeating himself.

Related posts:

• "Olympic This, Olympic That, and Chobham Academy"
  (March 14, 2012)
• "Architecture of Star Wars: a List of Favorites"
  (February 29, 2012)
• "Houston, Texas; Civic Pride; Futuristic Architecture; and Admiral Horatio Nelson"
  (February 1, 2012)
• "A 21st Century Look at 19th Century Visions of the 20th Century"
  (January 4, 2012)
• "Wiggly Buildings and Other Weirdness"
  (September 13, 2010)

Olympic This, Olympic That, and Chobham Academy

"London Olympics Architecture : Buildings Information + Images"
e-architect.co.uk

It's basically a link page, where you can go to photos of the London Olympics Shooting Venue, Olympic Aquatics Centre, an areal view of the Olympic Park (under construction), Olympic Stadium, and Olympic Village.

And, for reasons that weren't immediately clear to the Lemming, Chobham Academy.

Related posts:

• "And Now, For Something Completely Different: Portable Buildings; and an Octopus Cartoon"
  (March 7, 2012)
• "Houston, Texas; Civic Pride; Futuristic Architecture; and Admiral Horatio Nelson"
  (February 1, 2012)
• "Rogers Centre / SkyDome, Toronto, Canada"
  (July 16, 2010)
• "Eco-Bridge or Not, This Looks Like a Good Idea"
  (February 20, 2009)
• "China's Cool New Buildings: Eco-Aware, Too"
  (October 15, 2007)

And, Now, For Something Completely Different: A Cat and Five Tiny Rabbits

"When Thanksgiving centerpieces go wrong"
Meg, Cute Overload (November 29, 2011)


(from Animal Blog, via Ant at AQFL, via Cute Overload, used w/o permission)

There's some text, and a slightly larger photo, at Cute Overload.

Enjoy!

Other 'cute' posts:

• "Hello Kitty! Three A330 Airliners Raise Air Travel Cuteness Levels"
  (November 4, 2011)
• "Sic Transit Gloria Bunny - Cinnamon, of Disapproving Rabbits"
  (June 22, 2011)
• "'Rapture' and a Rattled Raccoon"
  (May 24, 2011)
• "A Rabbit, Pumpkin, and Thanksgiving"
  (November 25, 2010)
• "A Rabbit, a Reindeer Tiara, and a Grim Sentiment"
  (November 20, 2010)

Arizona Dust Storm: THIS MAY BE THE END OF CIVILIZATION AS WE KNOW IT!!!!! - or, not

Let's see, a line of heavy thunderstorms rolled across South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota on the night of July 4, 2011.

And last night a big dust storm overwhelmed Phoenix, Arizona.

Oh no! The forces of nature have rebelled against acid rain or something! "...the center cannot hold; mere anarchy is loosed upon the world...." (Yeats)

AND WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!

Aiiiiiii!!!!!!!!

The End of Civilization As We Know It?

None of the news about last night's dust storm had that angle on the story. Not what the Lemming read, anyway.

The events are quite dramatic, without flourishes:

"Big Dust Storm Rolls Through Phoenix"
myFOX9.com (July 6, 2011)

"A massive dust cloud rolled into Phoenix from the southeast Tuesday night, blanketing the sky with gray and brown dust and reducing visibility.

"A dust storm warning was in effect until 9:15 p.m. Gusting winds at speeds up to 50 mph pushed the dust and debris cloud along.

"The dust storm was approximately 50 miles wide in some spots and 1 mile high, and it stretched from the Estrella Mountains in the west to the Superstition Mountains in the east...."

Here's the video that picture is from:


Big Dust Storm Rolls Through Phoenix: MyFoxTWINCITIES.com

The storm's made international news:

"Giant dust storm bowls in"
nzherald.co.nz (July 7, 2011)

"A giant dust storm covers Phoenix.

"A massive dust storm has swept into the Phoenix area and drastically reduced visibility across the valley....

"...KSAZ-TV reported the storm appeared to be 80km wide.

"The National Weather Service says strong winds with gusts of more than 100km/h...."

No question about it - that was a serious storm.

Bad Weather and Getting a Grip

That still from the myfoxPHOENIX.com video may look like something from a Hollywood disaster movie. Old-school, that is, before things like Disaster Movie (2008). Or maybe one of the more over-the-top science fiction movies about neutrinos from Asteroid Wazoo-10 destroying the ozone layer because reckless developers bulldozed the last forest. Or whatever.

Don't worry, the Lemming's not going to rant.

On the other hand, if you want the Lemming's take on sounding crazy - also killer bees, nuclear reactors, and mutant frogs - check these posts out:

• "How to Not Sound Crazy - or - THE PARANOIDS ARE AFTER ME!!!"
  (June 12, 2011)
• "HAL 9000, Skynet, and C3PO"
  Drifting at the Edge of Time and Space (January 26, 2010)
  Particularly
  • A Person Can Learn a Lot From the Movies

The dust storm was serious - a Phoenix airport shut down for a while, and motorists were encouraged to pull off the road and wait it out.

But, as far as the Lemming knows, Phoenix is still there.

Or maybe that's just what They want us to think.

Somewhat-related posts:

• "Crab Nebula Superflare: It's Not Supposed to Do That"
  (May 13, 2011)
• "Apathy is Rampant, But Who Cares? - The Sequel"
  (February 7, 2011)
• "Blizzard, Cold, and Walking in to Fetch the Tractor"
  (January 31, 2011)
• "Not Many 2010 Tornadoes So Far: Good News or Crisis"
  (April 18, 2010)
• "Recycle Lint and Save Earth!"
  (April 17, 2010)

Amerikansk dressing, Skåne Tourist Board, Volvo, Lots of Color - but No Swedish Chef

"Snapshots from Sweden: Roaming Around a Swedish Supermarket"
Robyn Lee, Serious Eats (June 30, 2011)

"From June 5 to June 11, I visited Western and Southern Sweden on a trip sponsored by Visit Sweden, West Sweden Tourist Board, Skåne Tourist Board, and Volvo as part of their CAR + VACATION contest. Here's a look at something I saw during my trip.

"It was supposed to be a quick stop, but by pulling into the parking lot of ICA, one of Sweden's largest supermarket chains ... when I'm in a supermarket outside my home territory, I look at everything and take bright-eyed joy in everyday items like cereal and mayonnaise. Kids love candy stores; I love supermarkets...."

A tip of the Lemming's hat to anyone who, as an adult, still knows how to "...look at everything and take bright-eyed joy in everyday items...." And, even better, can share that experience with others.

Speaking of "bright" - quite a few displays in the Swedish supermarket were most sincerely not drab.

Besides the colors, the Lemming enjoyed looking at a familiar setting - a supermarket - which featured somewhat exotic foreign items like Amerikansk dressing (hampurilais kastike). Which might have been labeled "American dressing (hamburguesa salsa)" if it were on the shelf of the supermarket down the street from the Lemming's house. Although the Lemming is pretty sure that, whatever 'hamburger sauce' is, that's not what we call it here in America.

It's a fun post - the Lemming liked it, anyway: your experience may vary - with 17 photos from a Swedish supermarket. Including a full-size version of the one you see here.

Swedish supermarket, by the way, doesn't have all that much to do with Swedish Chef, which is another topic.

Related (sort of) posts:

• "Lemming Tracks: Silence of the Poets"
  (April 10, 2011)
• "A Cause for Our Time: Campaign for Real Gravy"
  (March 7, 2011)
• "Now You, Too, Can Grow Mushrooms: In the Office?!"
  (February 25, 2011)
• "Cheeseburger Bill: Minnesota's Shocking Attack on Contemporary Values"
  (February 22, 2011)
• "At Last! A History of the Limburger Cheese Sandwich!"
  (January 27, 2011)
  Particularly
  • Big Cheese is Victimizing You!
    • BEWARE BIG OIL AND BIG CHEESE!!!
  • Which reminded the Lemming of -
    • "How to Not Sound Crazy - or - THE PARANOIDS ARE AFTER ME!!!"
      (June 12, 2011)

---

A tip of the hat to williamcooks, on Twitter, for the heads-up on this 'Swedish Supermarket' post.

Sic Transit Gloria Bunny - Cinnamon, of Disapproving Rabbits

"Cinnamon"
Disapproving Rabbits (June 13, 2011)

"Hello all.

"It is with deep sadness that Sharon and I tell you that Cinnamon has passed away. She had a wonderful life of some 13 years.

"As you can imagine, this is an emotional time for us. We're going to take a break from the website for a week...."

Disapproving Rabbits is back now - with "All disapproval, all the time." Today's post reads: "You're home? But... Dead Man's Curve! The brake line!" ("Cadbury,"Scott & Joanna, via Disapproving Rabbits (June 22, 2011))

Cinnamon's still with the blog, in a way: the posts are still "Disapproved of by Cinnamon."

The Lemming will let some of the 378 comments on Disapproving Rabbits' June 13, 2011, post speak for the Lemming:

"My sympathies on your loss. Thank you for sharing Cinnamon with us -- she was the best disapprover there was."
(BookGeekGrrl)

"Oh no :(
"we're so sorry to hear this....but wow, 13 years! She had a bunderfully long life and was so very loved by you and by all of us...bunny prayers to you and your family!"
(funnybunnykp)

"I'm sorry for your loss. Over the years that you have this blog, I've enjoyed seeing Cinnamon do her thing.

"I hope this won't mean the end of Disapproving Rabbits because I love this blog."
(Tilia)

Related posts:

• "A Rabbit, Pumpkin, and Thanksgiving"
  (November 25, 2010)
• "A Rabbit, a Reindeer Tiara, and a Grim Sentiment"
  (November 20, 2010)
• "Bespectacled Rabbit and Keyboard"
  (August 17, 2010)
• "And Now, for Something Completely Different: An Unhappy Rabbit?"
  (April 5, 2010)
• "Rabbit Philosophizing"
  (May 13, 2010)

Mexico's Crystal Cave and Astrobiologist Boston

"Pictures: Return to the Crystal Caves"
Crystal Underworld, National Geographic (October 8, 2010)

"Encased in ice-cooled orange suits, scientists explore the Cave of Crystals, discovered a thousand feet (304 meters) below Naica (map), Mexico, in 2000...."


(Oscar Necoechea, Speleoresearch & Films/NGT, via National Geographic, used w/o permission)
Cave of Crystals under Naica, Mexico.

The article this photo page identifies those improbable-looking things as gypsum crystals. Among the largest in the world. Largest known, anyway.

Despite looking like ice crystals, the cave is hot - folks exploring it need refrigerated suits: ice packs and respirators keep the spelunkers and the air they breathe (comparatively) cool.

The photo looked a little familiar - the Lemming checked, and sure enough, there's a post in this blog with another picture of the same cave. (August 2, 2008)

The National Geographic article that's linked to the one with eleven photos of the Crystal Caves (including a full-size version of the one in this post) says that there's life down there:

"...Though the calling card of the horseshoe-shaped Cave of Crystals may be its massive mineral formations, some of its biggest surprises are literally microscopic.

"In 2008 a team of scientists, including New Mexico Tech's [astrobiologist and cave scientist Penelope ] Boston, investigated the cave and found microbial life living in tiny air pockets in the crystals.

"In December 2009 Boston returned to the cave with another team. From pools of water that hadn't been present during her first trip, the scientists collected bacteria as well as viruses that prey on the bacteria—something that was suspected but had not been confirmed on the first expedition...."
(National Geographic)

"Astrobiologist?!" Isn't that science-fiction stuff: "Beam me up Scotty" and all that? Not so much. And that's another topic.

Somewhat-related posts:

• "Camuy, Caves, and Karst"
  (October 21, 2010)
• "Another Martian Cave: Discovered by Seventh Graders"
  (June 22, 2010)
• "Cave Painting to Graffiti: Covered in One Blog Post"
  (April 22, 2009)
• "Beautiful, Strange, Caves Around the World"
  (August 2, 2008)
• "Big Blue Hole in Belize: Or, the Great Blue Hole"
  (March 25, 2009)

'Rapture' and a Rattled Raccoon

"That's a Wrap, Sure"
Not That Mike The Other Mike, Cute Overload (May 22, 2011 )

"Wait… we're all still here? N-nothing happened?"


(Peter/Not That Mike The Other Mike, via Cute Overload, used w/o permission)

"No earthquakes? No torrents of fire? No express elevator to Heaven?..."

"...Sender-inner Peter notes that he thought he was staking out an owl's nest, but this raccoon appeared instead. Perhaps the owl just (pause for effect) disappeared."

The Cute Overload post has three more photos - each slightly larger than this copy. You'll probably want to read the mouse-over test, too.

The Lemming thought this sequence of photos, the captions - and the 'alt' text - were funny. Your experience may vary, of course.

Not-completely-unrelated posts:

• "Gerbils Anonymous: Cute Photos, Common-Sense Advice"
  (April 13, 2011)
• "Armadillo!"
  (December 18, 2010)
• "A Rabbit, a Reindeer Tiara, and a Grim Sentiment"
  (November 20, 2010)
• "Pygmy Jerboa: A Tiny Head with Feet"
  (June 28, 2010)
• "Racoons and Ice Cream"
  (July 1, 2009)

---

Seriously, though: The Lemming realizes that a fair number of folks in America believed Mr. Camping, the radio preacher who made the latest 'Rapture' prediction. Some of them spent money like there was no tomorrow - and May 22, 2011, came anyway. That's not funny.

The Cute Overload photos and captions? That, for the Lemming, is funny.

Why does the Lemming react this way to yet one more 'End Times prophecy' not coming out as-advertised? Maybe these posts in another blog by the Lemming will explain:

• "Particular Judgment, Last Judgment, and Weekend Grilling"
  A Catholic Citizen in America (May 22, 2011)
• "Last Judgment: Attendance Mandatory"
  A Catholic Citizen in America (May 21, 2011)
  Particularly
  • Footnote 2

Or, maybe not.

Lemming Tracks: Report from the Department of Silly Hats

"Princess Beatrice and the hat that launched a Facebook page [Poll] [Updated to include, um, commentary]"
Ministry of Gossip, Los Angeles Times (April 29, 2011)

"Oh, Princess Beatrice -- the hat she presumably thought was a lovely choice for Prince William and Kate Middleton's royal wedding turned out to be a royal disaster, prompting the scorn of thousands of Facebook users. Their hate wasn't necessarily for all hats, but rather specifically for the one perched Friday on Beatrice's high-profile head.

"The 22-year-old took a risk donning headgear that many thought would be more appropriate for Lady Gaga, and the risky hat choice quickly backfired for her on Facebook. Witness the emergence of "Princess Beatrice's ridiculous Royal Wedding hat," a group dedicated to her headgear that had received more than 18,000 "likes" just hours after the ceremony at Westminster Abbey. Has any topper since Aretha Franklin's unforgettable inauguration hat seen such biting abuse?..."

Princess Beatrice is the lady in beige, with the oval-and-ribbon sculpture stuck to her forehead.


(from Ministry of Gossip, Los Angeles Times, used w/o permission)

Back to the L. A. Times op-ed:

"...Beatrice, the daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, stepped out at the fairy tale wedding in a sculptured ribbon topper made by London milliner Philip Treacy, a native of Ireland who trimmed the tops of dozens of guests at the wedding including Victoria Beckham, Zara Phillips and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

"But when the hat-crowned Beatrice and her sister Princess Eugenie, 21, emerged from their ride, one comparison rang clear: The evil 'Cinderella' stepsisters Anastasia and Drizella had arrived...."

Discussion of Princess Beatrice's headgear goes somewhat downhill from there.

Although the Lemming acknowledges that the hoop-and-ribbon arrangement might seem somewhat out of place here in Sauk Centre, Minnesota: from what has been aired and published about couture, haute and otherwise, at and around the royal wedding, Princess Beatrice's hat might be considered a tad understated, if anything.

Consider: it's beige. Symmetrical. And not even shiny.

The Lemming was impressed by the imaginative range of headgear exhibited yesterday. Many of wearable sculptures occupied significantly more volume than that beige hat. One reminded the Lemming, slightly, of the flying fried eggs in a first-season Star Trek episode. Another, of a wireless headset caught moments after catastrophic flashover. The Lemming was unable to find an online pictorial record of the latter, alas!

The Lemming is, therefore, somewhat at a loss when it comes to understanding the reaction to Princess Beatrice's hat. Particularly considering options available to someone in her position. Think of the possibilities - - -


(from Oddly Enough, Reuters, used w/o permission)

Yes: it could have been worse.

In fact, compared to her 2008 butterfly number, Princess Beatrice's hat was, in the Lemming's opinion, a study in understated elegance. Not the sort of thing one generally sees here in central Minnesota: but cultural standards seem to be different in the United Kingdom.


(Clockwise from upper left: MailOnline; Ministry of Gossip/L. A. Times; AP, via FoxNews.com; SFUNZIPPED, SFGate, San Francisco Chronicle; used w/o permission)

For those keeping score, clockwise from upper left: Princess Beatrice, 2008; Princess Beatrice, at the 2011 royal wedding; Christine Peckham from London, along the royal wedding route in London; the wife of Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, at the 2011 royal wedding.

Not-entirely-unrelated posts:

• "Mr. Basler's Worst Women's Fashions of the Year"
  (December 9, 2010)
• "Fashion, Drawings of Brains, and Space Aliens"
  (November 29, 2010)
• "Good Grief, What Was the Fashion Designer Thinking?!"
  (March 8, 2010)
• "Antlered Fashion Models?!"
  (February 23, 2010)
• "Frankenmodel: Or, 'After This Job, You Die' "
  (January 29, 2010)

News and views:

• "Best and worst royal wedding attire"
  SFUNZIPPED, SFGate, San Francisco Chronicle (April 29, 2011)
• "Royal Wedding Fashion: Tradition and Modernity"
  Associated Press, via FoxNews.com (April 29, 2011)
• "Princess Beatrice and the hat that launched a Facebook page [Poll] [Updated to include, um, commentary]"
  Ministry of Gossip, Los Angeles Times (April 29, 2011)
• "The official royal wedding picture as the Queen boycotts £1/2million deal with Hello!"
  Rebecca English, MailOnline (May 19, 2008)